Chapter 173: Noah almost didn’t make it.

Before he could do anything, Noah’s phone vibrated with a message from Yume.

[WE’RE WATCHING YOU.]

Luna was next.

[Get out.]

Iris was the last.

[I already found an old account that might belong to Hikari.]

Noah replied immediately.

[IRIS, DO NOT DOXX HER.]

Iris answered.

[Yet.]

Noah’s eyes went wide.

[WHAT DOES YET MEAN?]

Yume continued.

[DON’T CHANGE THE SUBJECT.]

Luna only wanted one thing.

[Get out now.]

Noah looked at Hikari and Hikari looked at the exit.

"I don’t want to leave."

"We have to."

"Not with this."

She pointed at the manga and Noah looked at the amount.

"We can pay for them and store them."

"The bags have the store logo."

Noah went silent, since that was true, so Hikari started thinking fast.

"We need different bags."

"Do they sell secret bags?"

"Don’t joke."

"I’m trying to survive."

His phone vibrated with a message from Luna.

[You have thirty seconds.]

Noah blinked, looked toward the street, and Luna was holding her phone, but her expression was completely neutral.

That worried him more, so Noah typed.

[WHAT HAPPENS IN THIRTY SECONDS?]

Luna replied.

[I come in.]

Noah put the phone away.

"Hikari."

"What?"

"Buy them fast."

"Why?"

"We have less than thirty seconds."

"What happens after?"

Noah looked toward the window.

"I’d rather not find out."

Hikari grabbed all the manga.

"I’m not buying all of them."

"This is not the time to compare prices!"

"It’s my money."

"Luna is going to come in!"

"Who is Luna?"

"You don’t want to know right now."

Hikari hurried to the counter and Noah followed her, but the phone vibrated again with a message from Yume.

[ARE YOU DONE WITH YOUR DATE?]

Noah replied.

[IT’S NOT A DATE.]

Iris was still at it.

[I found roughly where she lives.]

Noah almost dropped the manga.

[IRIS!]

[I don’t have the exact address.]

[THAT DOESN’T MAKE ME FEEL BETTER!]

Hikari paid, received the bags, and looked at them with obvious worry.

Noah took two.

"Let’s go."

"Remember the story."

"Which one?"

"That it’s a gift."

"For who?"

"I don’t know."

"Great undercover operation."

Hikari looked at him.

"You agreed to this."

"I didn’t know it would end this badly."

They walked out and Yume was waiting with her arms crossed, Luna at her side while Iris kept staring at her phone.

Noah stopped and Hikari stopped beside him.

There was an awkward silence.

Yume looked at Hikari, then at Noah, then at the bags.

"Hi."

Noah raised a hand.

"Hi."

Luna looked at the bags.

"Shopping?"

Noah answered.

"Yeah."

"I see."

He didn’t like the tone and Iris finally looked up.

"Hikari Amatsuki."

Hikari looked at her.

"Yes, nice to meet you."

Iris went back to her phone.

"Confirmed."

Hikari frowned.

"What did she confirm?"

Noah raised both hands.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

Yume stepped forward.

"What were you doing?"

Noah answered quickly.

"Buying a gift."

Hikari nodded.

"That’s right."

Luna looked at Noah.

"A gift?"

"Yes."

"For who?"

Noah opened his mouth and Hikari did too, but neither answered.

Yume narrowed her eyes, Iris stopped typing, and Luna kept the same expression, so Noah felt like he had just made a mistake.

"It’s..."

He thought, but nothing came to him, so Hikari stepped in.

"For a friend."

Noah looked at her and Yume looked at Hikari.

"Your friend?"

"Yes, my friend."

Noah nodded.

"That."

Luna asked.

"And Noah had to come?"

Hikari answered with complete seriousness.

"I needed a guy’s opinion."

The three of them looked at Noah, who closed his eyes.

’That sounds terrible without context.’

Yume’s eyes went wide.

"A guy’s opinion?"

"It’s not what it looks like."

Luna spoke.

"What does it look like?"

"I don’t know, but it’s not that."

Iris looked at the bag.

"I want to see."

Hikari immediately stepped back.

"No!"

Iris raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting reaction."

Hikari hugged the bag against her body and Noah looked at Iris.

"You don’t have to investigate everything."

"Yes I do."

"No."

"Yes."

Yume looked at Noah again.

"So it’s not a date?"

"I already told you it’s not."

"You sure?"

"Yes, of course I am!"

Luna asked.

"You don’t have any romantic interest in Hikari?"

"No, not at all."

Hikari turned toward Noah, who tensed up.

"I don’t mean that in a bad way."

Hikari answered.

"I don’t care."

"Good."

Hikari added.

"I don’t have any romantic interest in him either."

Yume relaxed immediately, but Luna didn’t, so Noah looked at her.

"Luna."

"What?"

"We already cleared that up."

"I’m thinking."

"Stop thinking!"

Iris put her phone away.

"For now she doesn’t seem dangerous."

Hikari looked at her.

"Dangerous?"

Noah answered quickly.

"I’ll explain later."

"I don’t think I want to know."

"Good decision."

Yume stepped closer and took Noah’s arm.

"Then let’s go."

Noah raised an eyebrow.

"Where?"

"We’re training today."

"It’s still early."

"We’re going early."

Luna took his other arm and Noah looked at her.

"You too?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I want to talk to you."

Noah felt a chill while Iris walked behind them.

"Me too."

Noah looked at Hikari, who was still next to the store with her bags and, for the first time since he had met her, looked genuinely confused.

Noah spoke.

"See you tomorrow."

Hikari nodded slowly.

"Yeah."

Iris turned toward her.

"By the way."

Noah tensed and Iris continued.

"Your old account uses the same photo as..."

Noah let go of Yume’s arm.

"IRIS!"

Iris looked at him.

"I didn’t finish."

"Don’t finish!"

Hikari’s eyes went wide.

"What account?"

Noah gently pushed Iris so she would keep walking.

"None."

Iris stayed quiet and Noah pointed at her.

"Stop looking up information on her."

"Fine."

Noah sighed in relief, but Iris added.

"I already found enough."

Noah closed his eyes.

Hikari stayed watching them from behind, then looked down at her bags and looked at the group again.

’What kind of relationship do these people have?’

She didn’t get an answer.

Meanwhile, Noah was being dragged toward training by Yume and Luna while Iris walked behind checking her phone again.

Noah sighed.

He had managed to go with Hikari, partially protected her secret, and technically no one had found out what they were buying.

He could consider it a success, but then his phone vibrated with a message from Hikari.

[We need to talk tomorrow.]

Noah replied.

[About the magical girls?]

Three seconds later.

[Also.]

Noah stared at it and then another message arrived.

[And I want to know how much Iris found out.]

Noah closed his eyes.

’I don’t want to know.’

Iris, walking behind, spoke.

"By the way."

Noah didn’t turn.

"No."

"I didn’t say anything."

"And I don’t want you to say it."

"I found something interesting."

"I told you not to tell me."

Yume looked at Iris.

"What did you find?"

Noah raised his voice.

"NOTHING!"

Luna watched his reaction.

"Now I want to know too."

Noah looked up at the sky.

The day still wasn’t over and he was already tired.